The museum is very pleased to announce the 2017-2018 awards made of grants and internships through the Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPSS), supporting not-for-profit organisations to care for Australia’s maritime heritage. MMAPSS has been offering support since 1995, awarding over $1.6M to support over 395 projects. Internships have been awarded since 2000, with over 50 internships awarded since that time.

The Jetty Train is the perfect way to experience Busselton Jetty. Image: Busselton Jetty.

As a national cultural agency, the museum provides support for Maritime Heritage nationally and the importance of supporting local communities, smaller museums and historical societies to care for, conserve, preserve, interpret and display Australia’s maritime heritage is recognised. Several of the avenues for doing this involve funding opportunities and engagement in collaborative travelling exhibition development.

The museum is pleased to be offering up to six conference bursaries for the Museums Australasia 2016 conference Facing the Future: local, global and Pacific possibilities being held from 15-19 May 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. This is the first joint conference of Museums Australia and Museums Aotearoa.

The bursaries cover the full conference registration fee (including conference dinner) only, with successful applicants required to fund their own airfare, accommodation and related expenses. Applicants will be responsible for making their own travel arrangements.

Applications are now open for the 2016–2017 round of the Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPPS), with applications closing on 31 March 2016. Check the website for more details on how to apply.

In recognition that much of Australia’s maritime heritage exists in regional organisations outside the major collecting institutions, the museum is committed to providing outreach support. We are proud to administer this national outreach program, awarding grants annually, of up to $10,000 each, and supporting internships so that regional organisations can continue to care for, conserve, preserve, interpret and display Australia’s maritime heritage.

The museum is thrilled to announce the 2014–2015 recipients of grants through the Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPSS), supporting not-for-profit organisations to care for Australia’s maritime heritage.

In total, we received 61 project applications for 2014-15 requesting $474,376 in funding, as well as six internship applications. Grants were awarded to 29 organisations including in-kind support offered to ten organisations and Internships were also offered to three applicants. Continue reading →

The diversity of projects seeking to be funded by MMAPSS is really rich. A wave of applications come in each year and give the Selection Committee a snapshot of the amazing organisations all over Australia who are passionate about caring for Australia’s maritime heritage.

The funding is for grants up to $10,000 and this year there is extra pool of funding for grants up to $5,000 specifically for organisations that want to develop educational or public programs. Internships are also available for up to two weeks with funding up to $3,000.

MMAPSS funding is not just for maritime museums. All non-profit, incorporated organisations that care for and provide access to maritime items of historical and national significance are encouraged to apply. This includes for example, museums, indigenous organisations, historical societies, local governments, religious organisations and community clubs.

Head over to the MMAPSS website for a list of past grant recipients; application forms, details about the application process, key dates and eligibility.

Balmoral Beach Club used the funding they received last year for the development and preservation of their archives. The club is nearly half-way through this six stage project to digitise and preserve over 90 years’ worth of club materials with a plan to be completed by 2014.

This great photo showing a group of swimmers in the early 1920’s was among the items that have been digitised so far.

The club is steadily preserving their records and plan to use the information in a centenary book in time for the celebration of their centenary year in 2014.

Among the individual and season race records were the results of a race from 1928 (which you can see in the picture). It was a freestyle race ‘From beach to buoy and return’ with men and women racing together.